Osborne had a run as a
midcarder in Tri-States during the mid ‘60’s
as “Red” Osborne , but after playing Double
XX to Dick Beyer’s Dr. X in the AWA in
1969-70, he brought the gimmick back to Oklahoma
in 1971 and came into his own as the best masked
heel McGuirk-land had ever seen (with apologies
to El Medico, the Assassins, and various flavors
of Medics and Interns). McGuirk chose to
introduce him just as Gagne had brought Beyer
into the AWA, as a masked man sitting at
ringside during a TV taping, who eventually
interfered on behalf of the heel wrestlers.

X was programmed with
Danny Hodge, and the 2 engaged in a stiff series
of matches in all of the territory’s venues. I
recall a particularly wicked match the pair had
in Fort Smith, AR, that saw X’s match shredded
by Hodge and the yellow remnants turned crimson
by his blood. The finish spilled out onto Towson
Avenue (a main drag of the town) and Hodge
body-slammed X into a car that was left with a
deep dent. Osborne was put over Ramon Torres for
the NWA Jr. Heavyweight title, but Hodge got it
back in March ’72 in Shreveport, LA after a
long run of intense encounters. Osborne was
blessed with nowhere near the mat skills of a
Hodge, but had the body and temperament of a
brawler, so their feud was an exciting one for
fans.

Osborne resurfaced as X
during the latter part of the decade, and warred
as an edgy face character against Ken Ramey’s
Interns, among others. His finisher, also lifted
from Beyer’s version of Dr. X, was the loaded
boot kick to the skull. Tri-State titles held:
NWA World Jr. Heavyweight champ, 3-time US Tag
champ (w/Cash, w/Negro, w/the Brute).

8. Skandor Akbar (Jim
Wehba)

The “wildman from
Lebanon”, as he was once billed, the
American-born Wehba was a mainstay as a heel in
McGuirk’s territory from 1966 until he retired
as an active wrestler in the late 70’s. A
powerfully built man who could bench press 500
lbs., he was rather short of stature for a
heavyweight wrestler. Akbar always created
plenty of crowd heat with his anti-American
promos and disdainful attitude.

He was programmed against
Danny Hodge many times during his decade plus
run in the territory, but did spend several
months as his partner after rescuing him from a
double-team by the Assassins (Hamilton and
Renesto). Of course, this brief flirtation with
popularity ended when he once again turned on
Danny, and their renewed feud played to sold-out
arenas. After an absence of a few years in the
early ‘70’s, Wehba returned with a vengeance
as a flame-throwing Southern version of the
Detroit Sheik by “blinding” mid-carder
Johnnie Eagles on TV in ’75.

Akbar transitioned into
managing at the tail end of the promotions
existence. His finisher was the bearhug and the
camel clutch. Titles held in Tri-State: North
American champ, 2-time US Tag champ (w/Hodge, w/Choi
Sun)

7. Buck Robley

While in no way one of the
best wrestlers in Tri-State history, Buckley
Christopher George Robley III generated more
heat than any other heel during his multi-year
stay in the territory, and his feud with Ken
Mantell over the NWA Jr. Heavyweight belt main-evented
during the mid-‘70’s. Robley was tagged with
the nickname “Yellow Belly”, which fit his
initial role as a sneaky, cowardly heel who made
use of a “loaded” arm pad.

After his program with
Mantell played out, Robley managed to reinvent
himself as a manager (a role he first assumed in
the Amarillo promotion as mouthpiece for Lorenzo
Parente and Bobby Hart), leading charges such as
the Angel (Frank Morrell), Killer Karl Kox and
Dick Murdoch. His ability on the microphone,
with a raspy, sneering tone of voice served him
well in this.

Robley soon turned on
Murdoch though, using Kox as his muscle in a
televised bloodbath, and this started a feud
that dominated Tri-States wrestling in
‘75-‘76. He also continued to wrestle,
holding the US Tag Title in ’75 with Bob
Slaughter (who was then using a hippie gimmick
before he created the Marine Sgt. character).
Robley was instrumental in putting Ted DiBiase
over during this time, just as he had been in
amplifying Murdoch’s face turn by receiving
stiff beatings from the big Texan all over the
circuit.

After leaving the area for
a few years, Robely came back as a face, wearing
yellow t-shirts that proclaimed, paradoxically,
“Don’t Call Me Yellow” – t-shirts that
he sold during intermission, a merchandising
precursor to the WWF revenue machine. Robley’s
finishers were the elbow drop and a lariat with
the “loaded” arm pad. His major feuds were
with Mantell, Murdoch, and Danny Hodge.
Tri-State titles held: 2-time US Tag Team champ
(w/Slaughter, w/Watts).

6. Ted DiBiase

Before his memorable stint
as the “Million Dollar Man” in the WWF,
DiBiase learned his craft under the tutelage of
veterans in the McGuirk area.

Beginning as a prelim
jobber in 1973, DiBiase moved his way through
the ranks to ultimately become the “Big
Cheese” of Watts’ Mid-South promotion. As a
second-generation wrestler, just as his friend
and mentor Dick Murdoch, DiBiase surpassed the
accomplishments of his father who had been at
one time the NWA Jr. Heavyweight champ.

After his initiation run
in the early seventies as a tough heel, DiBiase
was paired with Murdoch and they were given the
tag belts as faces. After dropping the straps to
Killer Kox and Bob Sweetan, DiBiase left the
region for a few years to wrestle in the Kansas
and Amarillo territories. When he returned, he
was put over the Brute (Bugsy McGraw) for the
North American belt, but this was a transition
as he quickly did the job for the Great Zimm
(Waldo Von Erich) in a TV match. This involved
him in a series of matches involving those two
plus the Spoiler, Watts and Dusty Rhodes that
put him on the map as an emerging star in the
sport.

DiBiase’s finishers were
the brainbuster, powerslam/figure four
combination, and loaded glove (in his Mid-South
heel stint). Tri-State titles held: North
American champion (he would hold this four more
times while in Mid-South), US Tag champ (w/Murdoch)

5. The Spoiler (Don
Jardine)

Brought into the territory
in 1969 with manager “Playboy” Gary Hart,
Jardine provided a legitimate heel opponent for
Bill Watts in terms of his size (6:8 290 lbs.)
and his ring skills. Watts and Spoiler feuded
during 1970 with the cowboy eventually winning
the North American title from the masked man.
Jardine was innovative for his era, with his
top-rope walking move (the “old-school” move
most associate with the Undertaker, who was
trained for wrestling by Jardine) and
icily-menacing promos.

One memorable televised
match from 1971 saw Spoiler cross paths with a
young Chuck O’Connor (Big John Studd) who was
fresh from being broken into wrestling by Killer
Kowalski. This match was a total squash and
ended with O’Connor blading a bit too deep for
the claw and juicing a gusher that may have been
edited if shown today. Spoiler left the area in
’72 to wrestle in McMahon Sr.s WWWF, but
returned for another run later in the decade.
Though always a heel , except for a brief face
turn that led to him betraying partner Dusty
Rhodes, he was more respected than other
villains in Tri-State, as the fans could sense
the legit toughness of this man.

His finishers included the
face claw (learned from Fritz Von Erich, who
started him under the mask), and the top rope
stomp to the chest. Major feuds for Spoiler
while in the region included Watts, Rhodes,
Sputnik Monroe, the Brute and Ted DiBiase.
Tri-State titles held: 2-time NA Champion,
2-time U.S. Tag Champion (w/Spoiler 2 (Buddy
Wolfe); w/Rhodes)

4. Dick Murdoch

So much has been written
about this unique character on this and other
web sites, and as an observer who saw him in his
youthful prime, I have to chime in my opinion
also: the late Dickie Murdoch may have been the
most natural, entertaining “rassler” of his
time. Whether working as a heel or a face,
Murdoch had an almost uncanny ability to tap
into the mood of the audience while in the ring.
I saw Murdoch perform live over 30 times, and
never once did he lose control over his scene as
I have witnessed other so-called greats do.

Murdoch entered the area
as a heel in 1975, took the North American belt
in short order from Danny Miller, and then
quickly was turned face (see Robley above) as
the promotion became aware of his ability to
connect with the audience. His feud with close
friend Karl Kox dominated the circuit in the
latter half of ’75, as these 2 men told a
story to every audience they entertained in a
way that no current day wrestlers seem capable
of. Murdoch would remain in the area for parts
of the next three years, dropping and winning
the NA title a total of four times. He turned
heel again in ’77 to feud with Watts and Jerry
Oates, but most fans never lost sight of the
grin behind the sneer, as a heel Dickie was more
fun than any serious babyface.

I was at one of
Murdoch’s last matches in ’96 at the famed
Dallas Sportatorium (in an odd note, he was
matched against Bobby Duncum, Jr., who would
also soon have his life cut short) and though 20
years had passed since I had last seen him, I
still marveled at his effortless flow and
command of the crowd: Dick Murdoch made me laugh
once more. His finisher was primarily the
brainbuster. Titles held: 4-time North American
champ, 2-time US Tag Champ (w/Kox, w/DiBiase).

3. Jack Brisco

A legend even before his
retirement in the mid ‘80’s, this former
NCAA heavyweight champion from Oklahoma St.
University cut his professional teeth in the
Tri-States area before going on to fame as the
NWA champion in the mid ‘70’s. His pleasing
demeanor and handsome looks put him over with
the fans almost instantly, and for the three
years he worked the region he sold out countless
arenas working the top of the card. Since his
skills as a shooter were so complete, and he was
just learning to work the pro style, for his
first year McGuirk wisely booked him with other
faces with great mat ability such as Danny
Hodge, Joe McCarthy, and Jerry Kozak. As he
adapted to the brawling style, he was moved into
feuds with heels Lorenzo Parente, Gorgeous
George Jr. and The Assassins.

During his final year in
the territory, he was used almost exclusively in
tag matches with his brother Gerald, who had
just turned pro, and with GG Jr., who had turned
face to join Brisco against the Assassins. It
was this latter booking that caught fire in the
territory, and at times fans were turned away
from arenas that were already packed to the fire
code limit to see these four battle often to the
60 minute time-limit and beyond. When this
program ran out, Brisco moved on to Florida
where pro wrestling immortality awaited him.

In 1974, he made a return
to the area to defend the NWA title against
Hodge among others, but the fans who came to see
the old Jack Brisco were shocked – he was now
booked as a heel using roughhouse tactics
against the area’s faces. That was his last
appearance in his home territory, as he would
spend the rest of his career in the Southeast,
Mid-Atlantic and (briefly) WWF Northeastern
regions. Brisco joins Hodge in the International
Wrestling Hall of Fame as a 2001 inductee. His
finishers were the Oklahoma Roll (rolling
cradle) and figure-four leglock. Major feuds
were with GG Jr. and the Assassins. Tri-State
titles held: 2-time US Tag champ (w/Gerald, w/GG
Jr.)

2. Bill Watts

His name along with Danny
Hodge will always come to the mind of most
Tri-State fans when they wax nostalgic about the
glory days of southern rasslin. His
accomplishments are well known to all who follow
wrestling, both as a star of the 60’s and
‘70’s, and as a promoter who first dared to
put main-event match-ups on free TV to generate
interest for local shows.

Watts was always more
aloof than the beloved , approachable Hodge
though, so though fans respected the big cowboy,
he never received the adulation that would have
been his due had he been the singular big draw
of the territory.

Watts began his career for
McGuirk while still playing pro football, but
McMahon Sr. snapped him up to match against
Bruno Sammartino during the mid-‘60’s, so it
wasn’t until 1970 that Watts began his
Tri-State career in earnest. He would spend much
of the next 15 years splitting his time between
the Tri-States, Georgia and Florida circuits.
Whenever he returned, it wasn’t long before
the North American belt was put on him, and he
battled heels such as the Spoiler, Dick Murdoch,
Killer Kox, Waldo Von Erich and the Hollywood
Blonds (Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts). He also
spent time tagging with old friend Hodge and
Greg Valentine.

By the end of the
‘70’s, his influence as booker was complete,
and the type of storylines that would usher in
the Mid-South Wrestling Alliance (and later, the
UWF) began to take shape. In mid-1979, Watts
completed a business deal that gave him the
lucrative southern part of the territory
(Louisiana and Mississippi) while McGuirk
maintained the promotions in Oklahoma, Arkansas
and southern Missouri, which were officially
named Tri-States Wrestling. Except for
storylines that periodically brought him into
the ring (revenge for the “blinded” JYD vs.
The Freebirds, his program with Dusty and Ole in
GCW, Eddie Gilbert in the UWF) Watts retired as
a regular wrestler with the culmination of this
deal. His finisher was the Oklahoma Stampede
(running bodyslam). Titles held in Tri-States
were: 5-time North American champ, 3-time US Tag
Champ (w/Red Lyons, w/Valentine, w/Robinson).

1. Danny Hodge

Simply the best of his
era. An overused cliche, but what else is one
left with when you are speaking of a singular
human being who tallied the following
accomplishments:

Olympic silver medalist in
freestyle wrestling

3-time NCAA freestyle
champion who never lost a point in amateur
competition

AAU Golden Gloves amateur
boxing champion

8-time official NWA Junior
Heavyweight champion as a pro wrestler

Add to this list the
respect of many of his pro wrestling peers as
the most accomplished mat wrestler and stiffest
worker they ever encountered in the ring and you
begin to have an idea of the importance that
Danny Hodge had in the history of the McGuirk
promotion. As a fan who witnessed Hodge perform
live over 100 times, and felt the electric
connection established between him and the
audience – without posturing, without
elaborate promos, without catchphrases – I can
state that he was the essence of what we all try
to recapture through Kayfabe
Memories. Hodge allowed you to suspend
disbelief for the thirty minutes to one hour he
was on stage, fighting the mythic battle as a
white knight against the dark forces of evil
that sought to overcome him.

I have seen tough men,
tattoed gang members’ cry openly when Hodge
was on the receiving end of a savage beating. I
have also seen the walls of an arena shake when
he mounted a comeback to eventually conquer a
rampaging heel. Hodge was a hidden gem for most
of his career, and sadly misused whenever he
ventured outside of Tri-States. It seemed that
only McGuirk knew how to book him properly, in a
manner that would tap into the pride that
Oklahomans and Arkansans had in Hodge. This is
what made him the anchor of the territory, and
for over a decade made all of the wrestlers on
the card wealthier men.

Hodge had many intense
feuds during his two decades in the territory.
He first captured the junior heavyweight title
from Angelo “The Vampire” Savoldi, and this
program created one of the most ironic examples
of kayfabe ever. After an Oklahoma City match in
1959 that saw Savoldi cheat his way to victory,
a fan stabbed “The Vampire” on his way back
to the dressing room, putting the heel in the
hospital. A terrible event to be sure, yet not
unheard of, except that the attacker was none
other than Danny Hodge’s father! Seems the
elder Hodge hadn’t been smartened properly.

Most of the blood in his
other feuds was spilled in the ring though, as
Hodge dropped and regained the Jr. Belt many
times during the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s.
He was also programmed as a tag wrestler with
Akbar, Brisco and even his arch-nemesis Chuck
Karbo. Other major feuds for him were with Hiro
Matsuda, Sputnik Monroe, Akbar, Karbo, Karl Von
Steiger, Mr. Ito (Ueda), Lorenzo Parente, El
Medico, Roger Kirby and Dr. X. Hodge was also
matched often with other faces such as Jack and
Gerry Brisco, Joe McCarthy and Ramon Torres,
giving the fans an opportunity to see a style of
wrestling that can’t be witnessed anymore. And
as a complete entertainer, Hodge could also work
comedy matches with midcarders and jobbers such
as Nikita Mulkovich, Gypsy Joe Rosario, George
Grant and Treach Phillips.

Hodge attempted to retire
in the mid ‘70’s, only to find that an
unscrupulous investment advisor had usurped his
retirement monies. This put Hodge back on the
road again in 1976, taking the belt once again
from Matsuda, but in March he suffered a broken
neck in an auto accident, and though he
miraculously survived, his career was
essentially closed. His legacy was cemented with
his induction into the International Wrestling
Hall of Fame in 2000. His finishers were the
Oklahoma Roll, abdominal stretch and right hand
KO punch. Titles held in Tri-States: 8-time NWA
Junior Heavyweight champ, 4-time US Tag Champ
(w/Akbar, w/Karbo, w/Brown, w/Clayton)

NEXT MONTH:

The great tag teams of
Tri-State.

Thanks to www.puroresu.com
for title information to augment my personal
records. Thanks for reading!